Heart Disease Patients on Thin Ice with Loneliness

Loneliness, social isolation, and living alone are associated with premature death for those with cardiovascular disease, reveals new research from the University of Limerick in Ireland. The findings are published in the journal of Psychosomatic Medicine. The research, which encompasses studies from around the world, sheds new light on the negative health impact of loneliness, social isolation, and living alone for people with cardiovascular disease, which is among the leading causes of death and disability in Ireland.

The cardiovascular disease most commonly refers to coronary heart disease, stroke, and other blood vessel diseases. Hence, researchers wanted to investigate if loneliness, social isolation, and living alone status would predict long-term mortality risk in people living with cardiovascular disease.

Loneliness and Heart Disease: Is There a Link?

What was unclear is to what degree they impact how long people live when they have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. They found that people with cardiovascular disease have higher levels of loneliness, and social isolation, and that life alone, tends to die prematurely.

Each of these factors is critically important to consider in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, as increased levels of loneliness, social isolation, and living alone appear to lead to premature death.

There are likely several reasons for this ranging from support from another individual to how an individual biologically responds to stress. The study followed people for decades across multiple regions including Europe, North America, and Asia. Each factor was found to be predictive of mortality risk.

Interestingly, the effects of living alone appeared stronger in European countries, perhaps reflecting the large number of those living alone in parts of Europe.

Pay Attention to Social Risk Factors in Heart Disease

While supporting public health concerns surrounding loneliness and social isolation, the study points to the need for rigorous research in this area across a greater range of geographical regions.

This work provides very important insights into the importance of these factors in health and longevity. Therefore, placing a strong emphasis on the importance of rigorous research that has an international impact, and this work represents this.

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These are clear factors that need to be considered and the resulting development of interventions for anyone with cardiovascular disease.

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Source-Medindia